Dan Wheldon

Dario Franchitti in Houston hospital

(Newser) -
Three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti is in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a shocking multicar crash at yesterday's Houston Grand Prix. The Scotsman suffered a concussion, a spinal fracture that will not require surgery, and a fractured right ankle in the crash that also left 13 fans...
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IndyCar had purposely been upping danger to add excitement

(Newser) -
In a June interview that seems eerily prescient in light of Dan Wheldon’s death , IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard promised more “carnage and wrecks” in the upcoming races. IndyCar, struggling to compete with the more popular NASCAR, was attempting to make its races more exciting by increasing the...
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'He was just a fun, fun guy,' friend says

(Newser) -
Dan Wheldon spent the final evening of his life doing something you might expect in Las Vegas: getting his-and-her tattoos with wife Susie, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal . The couple had "DW" and "SW" tattooed on their wrists at Huntington Ink inside the Palms around 10pm last night,...
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Plus, drivers worried about safety before fatal race

(Newser) -
Hours before he was killed in a 15-car pileup , Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon had signed a major, multiyear racing team deal. Wheldon had scored the spot Danica Patrick is vacating, behind the wheel of Andretti Autosport's car No. 7, ESPN reports. He had been part of the team'...
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Drivers had expressed fears about track, super-fast speeds

(Newser) -
Two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon died yesterday in a horrific 15-car crash in Las Vegas. The fiery accident, which sent three other drivers to the hospital, occurred just days after the 33-year-old British father of two and others expressed fears about crowded conditions and super-fast speeds of up to...
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